Hotel Dann Cartagena

“What a colossal place.”

Hotel Dann Cartagena What a colossal place. This hotel caters to mostly Spanish speaking clientele. However, being from Australia and not speaking Spanish did not deter us. If you make a modicum of effort to speak the language, you will be met with smiles and warmth. The staff are brilliant (more o… more

Hotel Dann Cartagena What a colossal place. This hotel caters to mostly Spanish speaking clientele. However, being from Australia and not speaking Spanish did not deter us. If you make a modicum of effort to speak the language, you will be met with smiles and warmth. The staff are brilliant (more on that later). We spent two weeks here and loved every minute of it, and my Spanish improved exponentially. The hotel sits right on the beach, has a fabulous pool with a waterfall, spa and little kids pool all incorporated into the one large pool. The pool is vacced and the tiles scrubbed each morning and is open till 10 pm. Shaded seating, tables and chairs circle the pool. Oh, and the water is warm. It also has a small gym. Food and drinks are available all day. Try the Limonada de Coco, you won’t regret it. Rooms are spacious, (we were on the 12 floor) with magnificent ocean views (pay the extra, it’s worth it). Windows overlooking the ocean are approx. 10 m wide with 3m high and all glass. Even the view from the toilet is great! Bathroom is small but adequate with a large shower; a magnifying mirror is available (Quelle horreur!). Towels are large and soft. A small fridge and mini bar is also provided. A large TV, lounge chairs and sofa are also included, as is hanging and shelf space and a safe. The local area is replete with multitudinous tiendas (shops) selling everything you could want. Local eateries, bars and restaurants are minutes away. Taxis are cheap and safe, but you must negotiate the price beforehand. Ubers are convenient and safe and you don’t need to carry local currency. An Uber from the hotel to the large shopping mall, by the Walled City (Old Town) 28 minutes away was only 17,430 COP (Colombian Pesos) which translated to $US 4.25. A suggested max tip of 5,000 COP was only $US 1.22. You can’t beat those prices! There is a large breakfast/dining room (6.40am-10pm) Breakfast is complimentary and the omelettes are to die for. Fresh (unsweetened) juice, sweet breads, cereals, etc. are all provided. Dinner prices are extremely reasonable. The beach is a hive of activity, with buskers, colourful umbrellas and chaise lounges (at a price), people hawking everything from hats, sunglasses, fresh coconuts topped with straws, ice, ice cream, aquatic accoutrements (floaties, rings noodles, etc.), and drinks stroll up and down the beach all. All beaches in Colombia are public beaches and this one is not part of the hotel complex, but you have full access to it. Fishermen can be seen laying out dragnets and it seems everyone on the beach lends a hand to haul in the nets. Kids and adults alike, locals and tourists all pitch in. It’s a lot of fun. The water is warm, few waves and very safe. I’ve saved the best for last – the staff. Everyone from the greeting security guards (Jose in particular) and the front desk staff are very pleasant and accommodating. However the dining staffs make this place sing. The desayano (breakfast) staff, especially Yuranis, David, Carmelo and Jair are extremely professional, personable, efficient and tremendously friendly. The evening staff, Jose and Betty is similarly hospitable and go out of their way to make you feel valued. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time here and will return..

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“Boring ZZZzzzz Boring”

First off I am totally shocked at fellow reviewers who have given this place more than 3 stars! Clean, friendly staff, on the beach it's all you get here. Dan Cartagena boasts full free breakfast as one of their selling points, in reality it is more like a high end continental breakfast, the fruits… more

First off I am totally shocked at fellow reviewers who have given this place more than 3 stars! Clean, friendly staff, on the beach it's all you get here. Dan Cartagena boasts full free breakfast as one of their selling points, in reality it is more like a high end continental breakfast, the fruits are non refrigerated days old, Milk, orange, apple juices are served upon request, only on any given days is there any to little protein. bar drinks are horrible bartenders have no idea to make alcoholic drinks yet for what it is served the charge is 10 to 15 U.S dollars for an 10oz cup, The bar is always empty. Pool shuts down @ 8 sharp. Beach is ok at best being overrun by local extremely aggressive non certified vendors there is no where to buy food, and the bars are disgusting. In a nutshell Hotel Dan is an overhyped hotel, ocean view rooms are nice due to the view, nothing spectacular in its interiors. The city exterior has places to eat but we checked in to quite a few and would never eat there again. For its pricing and lack of life/personality I would not recommend staying here!

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